Bayern Munich CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has handed the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United a major boost in the race for Kai Havertz.
The Bundesliga giants are one of the major competitors to Premier League clubs for the versatile Bayer Leverkusen attacker, who has netted 16 goals this season.
At 21, Havertz is expected to have a big future and has previously been compared to former Chelsea midfielder Michael Ballack.
It is therefore unsurprising that so many clubs are interested in him, but Rummenigge says Bayern are not one of them.
In an interview with Bild, reported by Bavarian Football Works, the Bayern CEO revealed that the impact of the coronavirus means that the club were unable to meet Leverkusen's asking price for the player.
Yet he did not rule out making a bid for Havertz next season if the player remains at Leverkusen.
He said: "We have a really big financial challenge ahead of us.
"Even if we wanted the player, we could not finance it this year."
Whilst it does rule one club out of the race for Havertz, the news does show that Chelsea will have to continue flexing their financial muscle this summer if they want to sign the player.
Having already secured deals for Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech, it could well be an incredibly big-spending summer for the Blues if they secure Havertz.
The Blues were handed another boost for Havertz earlier when teammate Wendell revealed that the player was keen to play in England.
He said: "Psychologically, the Germans are very focused people,
"They are very concentrated on what they want. If he goes to the Premier League, he will learn a lot.
"I think Kai dreams of playing there. He has that desire, and I think he decides to play in England he will be a success.
"He's a complete player. If you play him as a number nine or number 10 a little bit behind, or if you put him out wide, he'll know what to do.
"He has a facility to understand what the manager wants. He finishes well with both feet. He's strong with his head, he has good technique."
